I'm shopping around to replace my H17. The two boats I am considering are the FX-One and the I17R. Both are singlehanded with provisions to lug a crew along. What I want to know is what does the FX-One have over its competitor? I haven't really seen anything the FX-One has over the other, other than price, and the with the Carbon stick, that price hike is warranted in my opinion.

I have spent the last year researching these and other boats in the same size range.

The criteria I was looking at:
1. Designed for one-up or two-up sailing
2. Spinnaker
3. Sloop and uni rigs possible
4. Easy to handle on shore; easy to right off shore
5. Hi-tech enough to keep me interested
6. Tunable rig
7. Fast and light but still very sturdy
8. High quality workmanship
9. Good value for the money

Well, the 1st reason is you are going to be staying with a Hobie which we all love. You know your getting a great product with a company that stands behind the product. There is a good possibility for a great class to get started in the near future, just look at the Mega's you know Hobie loves to promote there classes. You have a great place, here, to get tech support as well as to simply talk about what a great day sailing you had. The boat is a very well laid out boat that is easy to use either sailing solo or with a crew. I have only been on a quick little spin on one hopefully someone can post that has spend a little more time on one.

I'd rather discuss it here... I was hoping I'd hear something from a hobie representative.

Most racing cats these days are being designed around Formula class rules.

Formula 18Hobie Tiger
Nacra F18
Cirrus
Mystere
etc.

Formula 17Hobie FX1
Inter 17
Any more?

So under Formula rules each manufacturer builds their boat under the class rules and in theory all boats should be equal in speed and it then comes down to the sailors ability which is great for one design racing. Great for the sailors also because we can now all race against each other on the same boats although there are different manufacturers building the boats. We can all get along.

If you're looking for a great speed advantage with one boat over the other I don't know if you're going to find one, and that's the whole point of the Formula class. So then you have to look at the details and quality of the boat being manufactured. Unfortunately I haven't been on an I17 or for that matter even seen one up close except in pictures so I don't want to comment on what I don't know. I have been on the FX1 only briefly and in light air, but enough to be impressed with the boat. It sailed very easily, the steering was responsive and light, the boat tacked quickly with the flat bottom hulls, I was able to trap in around 7 knots, all the controls were easy to reach from the trapeze and I think if the wind increased the boat would be easy to depower with the downhaul and twist of the square top.

As for the hull shape, I do only have limited time on the FX1, but I've have quite a bit of time on the Fox which has a very similar hull shape. As I said above, one of the main things I notice with the hull shape is with the flat bottom the boat is much more responsive, similar to sailing a small dinghy. I think the boat sails much different than say the Tiger just because of the shape of the hull, and there is a whole new learning curve to adjust to this. Sailing the boat flatter and not steering as much is part of the learning curve, but it's not too dificult to figure out. Downwind even if the bows would bury in the waves it never even came close to the point of pitching.

Gotta Go, but if you have any more questions or something specific to ask I'll respond tomorrow.

I have had my FX-One now for almost a year and have spent alot of time on the water....here in the Virgin Islands the conditions are some of the best you could ever want for sailing a beach cat.....more often than not the wind is 10-20 or 15-20 with 3-5 ft seas.....the FX-One handles very well in these conditions.....I have been very pleased with the boat ....I also have a Fox...the hulls do very well in 3-5 seas cutting through the waves.....I also like the wide beam,,, 8'4"..with the wind we have here it really helps......a buddy here has a I-17....I have sailed it briefly...its heavier than the FX-One and with the large bows seems to be a bit more difficult to tack through larger waves...the FX-One can really be pushed hard and is very stable making it less suseptable to flipping......I have had a great time on the FX-One and would highly recommend it....

I've not seen or heard of F17. I would be interested in seeing the rules, if they are available online somewhere. Mayby my Nacra 5.0 would fit (it's about 16.5 ft).

Maugan--

If you are looking for a new uni rig, you may want to consider the Taipan 4.9 or Stealth. Both of these are less expesive than the FX-1 or I17R, can be sailed uni or sloop, are strong and well-designed, and comply with F16 rules. But righting and transporting the taipan or stealth is easier since they are much lighter. (The stealth has a carbon mast and the Taipan has an aluminum mast, but it is very light still.)

As far as performance goes, the Inter 17R and Fx-1 w/spin appear to be very comparable to the F16 boats. In fact, in Australia Taipan 4.9s with spins routinely race with Hobie Tigers, with equal performance in heavy winds and often beating the Tigers in lighter winds. In the US, a growing number of Taipans are doing well in open fleets.

Having said all that, if you are primarily interested in one-design racing, a Hobie will be better for that. A Hobie 16 or 17, that is (and with class legal sails, if you know what I mean). I doubt there are many FX-1s around to sail against. Does anyone have the #? Probably more I17Rs at this point.

Good luck in finding the perfect boat! I used to own Hobie 18 #135, so I mean no disrespect here to Hobie. But just because you've always driven a Chevy doesn't mean you shouldn't check out a Ford...or a Porsche.

I haven't even seen an Fx in New England, but would love to sail one! I have sailed the Inter 17R, and can attest to remarkable handling. If you make it to a big regatta this season, you may be able to do some testing yourself. Hopefully there will be more of all these boats around soon. Brian

I hope to take you up on that offer later this year. My wife and I need a vacation and what a perfect place to go........somewhere with an FX-1!! Of course, that will probably move my time frame up for the boat to a few weeks instead of months! Oh well, what the hell, it's only money. Can't wait to see one, pictures only do so much. Did you get the chute yet?

hey Kip........havent gotten the chute yet.....waitin on the mounting bracket for the pole......we have had some really great wind for the past couple months....15-20 just about everyday.......been out 2-3 days a week......been some fantastic sailing ........as soon as I get the chute set up I will post some pix......come on down anytime......